Improvement in pneumatic ways for transmission of parcels



E. P'. NEE'DHAM. PNBUMATIG WAYS PoR- TRANsMlssIoN. oePARoELs, ec.

Patented Sep'c` 6., 1864.

YH: wams Pmns coA Pnnraumo.. wAsumGyoN, u. c.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

n. r. NnnnnAM, or New Youn, NQY'.

AIMPROVEMENT` lN PNEUMATIC WAYS FOR TRANSMISSION'OF PARCELS, &c.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern: l lie it known that-1, E. P. NEEDIIAM, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic ays for the Transmission of Letters, Merchandise, and Passengers; and I do'hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description cf the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ot this specification, in which- Figure l is a horizontal section of a pneumatic way constructed and worked according to my invention. f-Figs'.' 2 and 3 are similar sections oi' portions-ofthetermini, showing the gates in-diiterentpositions from those represented in Fig. l. i

Similar-letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several` figures.

1n the pneumatic ways heretofore con'structf` ed i'or the transmission of letters, merchandise, &c., it has been most common to exhaust the tube in front of the carriage or of the piston attached"thereto,and allow the carriage to be driven through it by the pressure ofthe atmosphere. It has also been proposed to drive the carriage by admitting compressed air into the tube behind it, the portion ot the tube in front. being open to the atmosphere.

The object ot' this invention is to obviate some objections to which both ot' these plans are liable, to bring the whole system initier more perfect control, and to economize power; and to these ends it consists in the employment of a continuous viaduct `or system of tubing, forming a complete circuit, arranged to form two lines between the termini of the Way, and an air-pump so arranged in the said circuit and so operated by power suitably applied that the whole volume or body of air separated within said viaduct ortubes from the external atmosphere and free from its inuence may be made to revolve like an endless belt throughout the entire circuit of the tubes, passing and repassing` continually through the pump, and returning to the exhausting side thereof with the same velocity that it is delivered from the' opposite side, without any tendency to a vacuum, and being constantly di ect-acting and retroactive to an equal e-X- tent, so that it/ operates with equal force in the two lines of tubing, and enables one to be used for carriages to run in one direction and the other for carriages to run in the other direction between the termini of t-hcway.

The invention also consists in the employment, in. combination with a pncumaticway, of branch tubes connecting with the main tube on opposite sides of a station or point where it is desired to stop the carriages for and stop-gates, so arranged that the stop- 4 gates may shut the receiving and delivery gates out ot' the circuit and permit them to be Openedfor reception and delivery without interruptin g theoircuit.

It also consists in providing in the tubes at the stations and termini of the way chainbers in which air is compressed by the earriage or its piston runninginto them, for the purpose ot overcoming the momentum ot t1.e carriage and stopping it.`

It further consists in soproviding vents to the above-mentioned air-chambers as to regulate the compression ot' the air therein, and so control the stoppage ot' the carriage that it may take place at the desired point.

To enable others skilled inthe art to make and use my invention,'I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A aretwo tubes or lines of tubing of any length, arranged near together or at any distance apart, and connected at their termini to make a continuous circuit, the connection of the lefthand terminus bein g made by a trans verse tube, A2, and that at the right-hand terminus by or through a rotary -orfother continuously-operating air-pump or blower, B, by

which air is made. to circulate continuously` through the whole system` ot' tubes in an unbroken current, as indicated by arrows in Fie'. l, the currentv being in opposite directions in the two tubes, as may be seen by referring to the arrows above mentioned, and hence one tube or line serves for all the trattic in one di- Areceiving gate in one line ot' tubing and a d^ livery-gato in thc other line. lil, Fig. l, is the receiving'gatc ot' the right-hand terminus in the line A, and l1" the delivery-gate ot' the same terminus in the line A',

E is the reeeivinggateof the lett-hand terminus in the line A', and 'F the delivery-gate ot' the saine terminus in'thc line A. These gates are beyond or nearer the ends of the tubes than the connections with'the air-pump and with the transverse tube AP', as shown in hig. l. There may be as many stations as desired between the termini, and generally both lines ot' tubing will pass through each station, so that eat-h station maybe both a delivery and receiving station for tratiic in either direction. D 1) represent a station at which there are provided a gate, C, in the line A, and a gate, G', in the line A. These gates both serve t'or reception and delivery. The

'several gates at the termini and stations may be ot' any suitable construction that'will provide l'or entrance into and exit from the tube, and that will vnot in any way obstruct the passage ot' the tube. The tubes may be furnished with rail tracks for cars or carriages containing the letters, goods, or passengers.

(,)n one side et' each reception and delivery gate (l C there is in its respective line or tubin g what may be termed a stop-gate, G, and on the other side a similar gate, (1i-* These t gates are represented in the drawings as common stop-cocks; but they may be ot' -any suitable construction that will, when they are open, leave an unobstructed passage through the liuc of tubing, as shown -in the linc A, and that will enable them to close the passage entirely, as shown in the line A. At each terminus there is in each line ot' tubing a stopgate, .l I, of similar character, to close the passage of the tubing close to the receivingl and delivery gate and on that'side v,of the said gate which is farthest from the ends of the line.

I I are' branch tubes provided in-each tube or line of tubing at each station and terminus to form alcontinuous communication through the tube at either terminusA or station when its stop-gates are'closed,t'or entrance to or exit from the tube. These branch pipes pass around the reception and delivery gates and stopgates, as' shown in Fig. 1.' Those at the station D are always open, butv those at the terminiareA closed', as shown at a in Figs. 2 and 3, at the same time that their respective stop-gates H H close the main tube. Thev gates which thus close the branch tubes only close them beyond the transverse tube A2 and air-pump connections, but leave open portions of the said branch tubes, which form the communications between the'main tubes and the said transverse tubes and airpump, as will be seen in' Figs. 2 and 3, where the passage .of the air is indicated by arrows. -The gates a, which close the branch vtubes at the termini, may be separate from the gates H H 5 but they are represented as being connected therewith, or, more strictly speaking, as forming parts of the same tive-way cocks.

By the system of gates hereinabove speci-A t tied, or any other system opel-ating in the same manner, the necessity for the stoppage of the operation ot' the pneumatic way, except for repairs, is entirely obviated,aml the way may be opened at either terminus or any station for yentrance or exit without interfering with the continuity ot' thc current. l will now suppose, for example, thata carriage is to be introduced or loaded at the reccivinggate E' ofthe left-hand terminus. The stopgates JH a are Iii-st closed, as shown in Fig. 2, and

A.then the gate E is opened, and as the portion ofthe tube in which E Aissituated isshnt vout ot' the circuit the current is not interfered with. When the carriage has been introduced lor loaded, the gate E is closed and the gates lby other meaus,.the gate G-is also lclosed to shut the gate C ont of the circuit, and the latter gatejs then opened without interfering n with the continuity of the current, and the carriage taken out, unloaded or loaded. When this is doi1e,the gate C is closed and the gates Gr G both opened, and the carriage, ifleit in the tube, startsagain, and other carriages coming along are free' to pass. On its arrival at the terminus the carriage runs beyond the gate H, and before opening Athe gate F tov take it out or unload it the stop-gate 1I must-v bc closed to put the said gate F out ot' the circuit..

The momentumofthe carriage is overcome, as it approaches they closed stop-gate G* at a stator, hy the compression of the air in a portion, b, of the'tube between the receiving and delivery gate and the stop-gate. This portion of the tube should be long enough to contain the requisite quantity of air for this purpose, and there should be provided in the stop-gate a v,venti to the atmosphere, consisting of a small valvel or cock, by which .to regulate the compression of theair in such a manner that the carriage will stop exactly opposite to the receiving and delivery gate. Similar chambers b are lprovided between the delivery-fA gates F E', at thel termini, and the ends ofthe line of tubing, with vents d in the ends of- .the line of tubing.

This system of tubes may have branches leaving the main line and returning thereto atsuitable points for the conveyance of letters, goods, or passengers to 'stations or points distant from the main line, the said branches beingworked by blanch currents of` air fromthe same circuit passing and repassling through the air-pump B. ,A

IThe systeml et' tubes may be so arranged;

alf'

that, strictly speaking, it will have no termini, taking such a course asfto form one continuous tube. Two or more air-pumps may be used on the way at diercut parts of length. What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-` Y 1. The employment7 as a pneumatic way for the transmission of letters, merchandise, passengers, &e., of atcontinuous viaduct or system of tubes vin which air-separated from and out of the influence of the surrounding atmosphere is caused to circulate by means of an air pump in such a manner at to pass and repass uninterruptedly in a complete circuit, substantial-ly as herein described.

' ,2. The'employment, in combination with a. `ljlueumati-c Way, of branch viaducts or tubes I, for the purpose of conducting the current of air around the stations or points where it is desired to stop the carriages, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. The employment, in combina-tion with a pneumatic way, of a system of receiving and delivery gates and stop-gates, so arranged that the stop-gates will shut the receiving and delivery gates out of the circuit of the air in the Aviaduct or tubes and allow them to be v E. P. NEED HAM.

M. M. 'LIVINGs'roN 

